Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Amiko Bronze’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Chrysanthemum  plant named ‘Amiko Bronze’, characterized by its upright, outwardly spreading and rounded plant habit; freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit; uniform, early and freely flowering habit; decorative-type inflorescences with bronze-colored ray florets; and excellent garden performance.

Botanical designation: Chrysanthemum×morifolium.

Cultivar denomination: ‘AMIKO BRONZE’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium, and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Amiko Bronze’.

The new Chrysanthemum plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium. The objective of the breeding program is to create new freely flowering Chrysanthemum plants with unique and attractive ray floret coloration.

The new Chrysanthemum plant is a naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘PPP AMIK 09’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,453. The new Chrysanthemum plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant from within a population of plants of ‘PPP AMIK 09’ in a controlled greenhouse environment in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium in September, 2010.

Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum plant by vegetative cuttings was first conducted in a controlled greenhouse environment in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium in January, 2011. Asexual reproduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions and cultural conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditions such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Amiko Bronze’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Amiko Bronze’ as a new and distinct Chrysanthemum plant:

-   -   1. Upright, outwardly spreading and rounded plant habit.     -   2. Freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit.     -   3. Uniform, early and freely flowering habit.     -   4. Decorative-type inflorescences with bronze-colored ray         florets.     -   5. Excellent garden performance.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ primarily from the parent, ‘PPP AMIK 09’, primarily in ray floret color as plants of ‘PPP AMIK 09’ have violet-colored ray florets.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can also be compared to plants of Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Gedi Three Pora’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 17,067. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium, plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of ‘Gedi Three Pora’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were more compact than plants         of ‘Gedi Three Pora’.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had lighter green-colored         leaves than plants of ‘Gedi Three Pora’.     -   3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had larger inflorescences         than plants of ‘Gedi Three Pora’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new Chrysanthemum plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Chrysanthemum plant. The photograph comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Amiko Bronze’ grown in a container.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photograph and following observations and measurements describe plants grown in 19-cm containers during the late summer and early autumn in an outdoor nursery in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium and under cultural practices which approximate those generally used in commercial Chrysanthemum production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 25° C. to 30° C. and night temperatures ranged from 15° C. to 20° C. Plants were 20 weeks old when the photograph and detailed description were taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2005 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Amiko Bronze’. -   Parentage: Naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of     Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘PPP AMIK 09’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat.     No. 21,453. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About 14 days at             temperatures of about 20° C.         -   Time to initiate roots, winter.—About 20 days at             temperatures of about 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About 30 days             at temperatures of about 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.—About 40 days             at temperatures of about 20° C.         -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous; light brown in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; medium density. -   Plant description:     -   -   Appearance.—Perennial decorative-type Chrysanthemum; stems             upright and outwardly spreading giving a uniformly rounded             appearance to the plant; plants roughly spherical; very             freely branching habit, about 20 primary lateral branches             develop, each primary lateral branch with multiple secondary             branches; pinching enhances lateral branch development;             dense and full plant habit; low vigor; plants flexible, not             brittle.         -   Plant height.—About 40 cm.         -   Plant width.—About 45 cm.         -   Lateral branches.—Length: About 20 cm to 22 cm. Diameter:             About 2 mm to 3 mm. Internode length: About 3.5 cm.             Strength: Strong, flexible. Texture: Pubescent;             longitudinally ridged. Color: Close to 145A.         -   Leaves.—Arrangement: Alternate, simple. Length: About 2.5 cm             to 4 cm. Width: About 2.5 cm to 3 cm. Apex: Rounded to             cuspidate. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Palmately lobed and             serrate, sinuses between lateral lobes divergent to             parallel. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Slightly             pubescent. Color: Developing leaves, upper surface: Close to             145A. Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to 145B. Fully             expanded leaves, upper surface: Close to 139C; venation,             close to 148C. Fully expanded leaves, lower surface: Close             to 145B; venation, close to 147B to 147C. Petiole: Length:             About 1 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Texture, upper and lower             surfaces: Slightly pubescent and rough. Color, upper             surface: Close to 139C. Color, lower surface: Close to 145B. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Appearance.—Decorative inflorescence form; inflorescences             borne on terminals above foliar plane; disc and ray florets             arranged acropetally on a capitulum.         -   Fragrance.—Slightly fragrant, pungent.         -   Flowering response.—Under natural season conditions, plants             flower in mid-September in Belgium; flowering response time,             about six weeks.         -   Postproduction longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good color             and substance for about seven weeks in an outdoor nursery;             inflorescences persistent.         -   Quantity of inflorescences.—About 20 inflorescences develop             per lateral branch.         -   Inflorescence bud.—Height: About 2 cm. Diameter: About             2.5 cm. Shape: Globular. Color: Close to 145A.         -   Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 7 cm. Depth (height):             About 4 cm. Disc diameter: About 3 mm. Receptacle diameter:             About 3 mm. Receptacle height: About 2.5 mm to 3 mm.             Receptacle color: Close to 144B.         -   Ray florets.—Length: About 5 mm to 7 mm. Width: About 7 mm.             Shape: Oval. Apex: Rounded. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Entire.             Aspect: Mostly flat. Texture, upper and lower surfaces:             Smooth, glabrous. Number of ray florets per inflorescence:             About 150 to 200 arranged in about ten whorls. Color: When             opening, upper surface: Close to 185B. When opening, lower             surface: Close to 181A. Fully opened, upper surface: Close             to 172A; color becoming closer to 171A with development.             Fully opened, lower surface: Close to 171A; color does not             change with development.         -   Disc florets.—Length: About 3 mm. Diameter: About 0.5 mm to             1 mm. Shape: Tubular, elongated; apices acute. Number of             disc florets per inflorescence: About 30 massed at the             center of the inflorescence. Color, immature: Close to 145A.             Color, mature: Close to 12A.         -   Phyllaries.—Number of phyllaries per inflorescence: About 25             arranged in two or three whorls. Length: About 4 mm to 6 mm.             Width: About 2 mm to 3 mm. Shape: Ovate. Apex: Rounded.             Base: Rounded to truncate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper             and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color, upper surface:             Close to 137A. Color, lower surface: Close to N137B.         -   Peduncles.—Length, terminal peduncle: About 3 cm. Length,             fourth peduncle: About 4 cm. Length, seventh peduncle: About             5 cm. Diameter: About 4 mm. Angle: About 30° from vertical.             Strength: Moderately strong. Texture: Slightly pubescent.             Color: Close to 145A.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Not observed. Gynoecium:             Not observed.         -   Seeds and fruits.—Seed and fruit production have not been             observed on plants of the new Chrysanthemum. -   Disease & pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common     to Chrysanthemums has not been observed on plants grown under     commercial conditions. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have     demonstrated excellent garden performance and will tolerate     temperatures ranging from about 0° C. to about 45° C. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Amiko Bronze’ as illustrated and described. 